1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to toothbrush toys, and more particularly to a toothbrush toy having removable interchangeable character handles which are at least partially bendable and posable.
2. Description of the Related Art
Toy toothbrush with animate handles are well known in the art. A number of design patents show various designs for toothbrushes with animate handle portions. Examples of these are U.S. design patents U.S. Pat. Nos. Des. 71,286, Des. 237,659, Des. 238,127, Des. 297,784, Des. 347,146, Des. 347,147 and Des. 347,148. Providing an animate handle portion on a toothbrush will likely increase its appeal especially to children, and thereby increase the likelihood that the toothbrush will be used regularly, toward achieving better dental hygiene.
In the case of the above designs, however, it appears that the animate handle portion is not removable from the toothbrush, or interchangeable with other animate handle portions, and therefore the appeal of such designs is necessarily limited.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,464 in the name of Atkins et al. addresses this situation, by providing a toothbrush with a series of interchangeable animal handles. The handles may thus be periodically interchanged to increase the amusement value of the toothbrush, and, because the handles may be separated from the toothbrush proper, the handles themselves may be played with independently as toys. Significantly, however, the animal handles of this patent appear to be rigid in nature.
Moreover, in the Atkins et al. patent it appears that the toothbrush proper fits into the handle by a frictional sliding arrangement. Thus, in this patent, there remains the possibility that the toothbrush could be fitted into the handle at varying angular orientations, thereby providing an inconsistent gripping surface on the handle, when the toothbrush is used.
Apart from toothbrush with animate handles, it is also known to provide a toothbrush which is removable from its handle. Examples of such toothbrushes from the U.S. patent literature are U.S. Pat. No. 5,361,446, Des. 297,784, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,400,417and 3,181,189, 5,328,370 is also of interest, for its teaching of a dental tool with a removable handle, which employs a twist-and-lock arrangement. In particular, in this patent, protrusions 14 formed on the stops 12, serve to position the tool at a predetermined angle of orientation relative to the handle.